Business Revision Guide: 3.6

• apprenticeship


  a long - term development programme for workers to learn job skills while they work
• professional development


  involves developing the long - term potential of workers
• staff development


  involves learning over a long period of time

  includes apprenticeships, external courses and professional development programmes
• Apprenticeship

  A long term learning programme - often over two, three or four years
• Apprenticeship

  • Usually leads to a specific National Vocational Qualification e.g. Level 2 qualification in childcare
  • It develops skills and knowledge relevant to a specific job, i.e. veterinary nursing
  • Available at two main levels - intermediate (for people with GCSEs) and advanced (people with GCSEs and Alevels)
  • Some apprenticeships go to degree level work and beyond
  • The development programme is usually completed partly in the work place and partly in a college
• Professional development programme

  A long-term programme - often two years or more
• Professional development programme

  • May lead to a professional qualification e.g. a Chartered Surveyor
  • It may lead to general academic qualifications such as a degree
  • It contributes to a person's general education and allows them to develop a set of skills and body of knowledge related to a specific vocation, such as medicine
  • Professional development applies at all levels from junior to senior workers
  • Professional development programmes often include a high academic content completed at college or online, but there will also be a practical element
• Benefits to employee of staff development

  • Develop skills and gain qualifications
  • May receive a promotion as a result
  • Paid while they develop new skills
• Benefits to businesses of staff development

  • Can motivate workers - increased output and improvement in quality
  • Improve staff retention - saves costs of recruitment
  • Help business meet future staffing needs
  • Aid recruitment of workers
  • Help to overcome skill shortages
• Drawbacks to businesses of staff development

  • Costly
  • Timely
  • Staff may leave for a better job when they complete their training